Introduction
In our educational technology coursework we were asked to research a misconception and exploit it in a way that allowed us to understand our subjects’ understandings. As educators, it is really important to look deeply into our student's background knowledge and how it affects their deeper understandings of content. It is also critical to anticipate responses to questions asked in class. This can be done by thinking through a formulated set of question and answer responses before starting a unit. We did just this in this Understanding Understanding project. |
As we started this project, we looked into attacking a misconception from a cultural angle. We formulated questions and researched the misconception that surrounds what St. Patrick's Day is all about and why we still celebrate it today. We went out into the field and asked our colleagues and Irish citizens if they would answer a few questions about St. Patrick's Day. |
Our line of questions unintentionally scaffolded our subjects to discover the meanings behind St. Patrick’s Day. Due to these unanticipated findings, we were able to quickly change gears and moved towards examining how people interpret myths. This is how our literal vs. conceptual theme developed. For centuries, humans have exaggerated truths or made up stories to explain or simplify reality. We decided to explore this concept and how people take the literal meaning of a myth at face value and never think deeper regarding the symbolism or truth behind these myths.
We gained a deeper understanding of how to formulate and execute questions in order to dig deeper into our subjects’ misconceptions. |
Take a look at our video and what we were able to tease out of our extensive research findings. We developed a coherent story that attempts to explain literal vs. conceptual interpretations of myths, specifically the St. Patrick’s Day Snake Myth: |
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By: Angela Marocco, Brent Zeise, Katie Anderson MAET Year 2 Overseas 2012